Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 Review: Most of a G Master for Under Half the Price
If you shoot Sony or Nikon full frame and you’re watching your budget, the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 is probably already on your shortlist. It should be. It’s one of the best-value lenses of the last five years. Fast f/2.8 aperture, sharp, light, and priced at about $880 at launch, compared with more than $2,000 for the brand-name equivalents.
The G2 version arrived in late 2021 for Sony E-mount, replacing Tamron’s hugely popular original 28-75mm. A Nikon Z version followed in 2023. It’s the lens that many A7 IV and Z6III owners bought instead of the kit zoom, and few regret it.
It weighs about 540 grams and uses a 67mm filter thread, the same as most of Tamron’s mirrorless lenses. If you own a few, you can share filters.
Video review: Dustin Abbott
What improved over the original
Focus. The first version used a stepping motor that was fine for stills and so-so for tracking. The G2 uses Tamron’s VXD linear motor, which is much faster and quieter. It keeps up with eye tracking and burst shooting on current bodies, and it’s smooth enough for video.
Sharpness improved too, especially toward the edges at 28mm. Wide open it’s crisp in the center at every focal length, and corners firm up by f/4. On 24MP and 33MP bodies you’d struggle to tell it from lenses costing twice as much.
Close focus is excellent: about 18 centimeters at the wide end, for a magnification of 1:2.7. That’s very close to macro territory. You can shoot food, product details and flowers without swapping lenses.
There’s a USB-C port on the lens. Plug it into a computer and Tamron’s Lens Utility software lets you update firmware and customize the focus ring and focus-hold button.
The tradeoffs
28mm isn’t 24mm. You’ll notice it indoors and for landscapes. If wide matters most, Tamron’s 20-40mm f/2.8 or Sigma’s 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art are better fits.
There’s no optical stabilization, which is fine on bodies with in-body stabilization and less fine on those without.
And while it’s light, the build is mostly plastic with moisture-resistant sealing. It’s solid, just not built to the level of a G Master.
Who should buy it
Sony and Nikon full-frame shooters who want a fast standard zoom without spending flagship money. New full-frame owners upgrading from a kit lens. Wedding and event shooters who need a light backup zoom. Video creators who want f/2.8 on a gimbal-friendly lens.
Against the Sony FE 24-70mm GM II, the Tamron gives up 4mm at the wide end, a bit of corner sharpness and some autofocus speed. It saves you well over $1,000. For most people that’s an easy call.